The subject invention is directed to an improved flip tray system and buffer tube organizer clip arrangement for use in waterproof cable splice enclosures to enable easy access and removal of single splice trays from a stack of trays by technicians or the like during regular maintenance or servicing. Assemblies of the type under consideration are particularly well suited for selectively holding optical fiber splice trays in a plurality of predetermined convenient raised positions during servicing and the invention will be described with particular reference thereto; however, the invention could equally well be used with other types of cable splice enclosures and tray arrangements for other applications.
Many different types of fiber optic cable enclosures are known in the prior art. These prior enclosures are satisfactory to a greater or lesser degree but often have certain shortcomings which make them inconvenient to use. In particular, most fiber optic cable enclosure systems include some form of mechanical assembly for holding a plurality of fiber splice trays in an aligned stacked relationship making access to lower trays in the stack inconvenient.
One such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,993 assigned to the assignee of the instant application, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. As shown in the ""993 patent, one or more splice trays are positioned in a stacked relationship on an elongate mounting bar that extends substantially axially along the length of another generally cylindrical splice tray housing. The splice trays carried on the mounting bar are held in a superposed relationship by a pair of spaced apart parallel threaded rods or bolts that extend upwardly from the rod. Each splice tray is provided with engagement ears on opposite outer edges thereof for intermateable connection with the upwardly extending bolts. In use, the trays are organized in their stacked relationship by sliding them individually onto the bolts.
Although the system described above holds the plurality of stacked splice trays in place between the rods within the splice case housing quite well, one shortcoming is that access to individual trays within the stack is difficult and inconvenient. More particularly, in order to gain access to a single splice tray within the stack, all the splice trays above the target tray must first be removed from the upwardly extending bolts so that the target splice tray can be reached. Sometimes, this disturbs non-target cables causing unnecessary cable damage and possible resultant service interruption.
Several manufacturers have thus offered fiber splice case products that include hinged organizer trays that are pivotally connected on one end to a bracket within the case. Since each of the splice trays are hinged to the bracket, access to individual trays within the stack is enabled by merely flipping the trays above the target tray upwardly off the stack. In some systems, the trays are individually removable from the bracket at the hinge so that the target tray can be separated from the stack and then physically removed from the fiber splice case apparatus for servicing or the like. It is important, however, when working with optical fibers to not damage or otherwise disturb connections within the optical fiber splice case that are not the target of a maintenance or service procedure. Each of these splice tray systems, however, requires excessive handling of the trays with the potential therefore to cause cable damage.
Although technicians have found optical fiber splice cases of the type that include hinged organizer trays to be advantageous over the earlier tray systems stacked on parallel rods, one difficulty has been in holding the trays in a flipped up orientation while the tray beneath is serviced. One prior art system uses a xe2x80x9ckickstandxe2x80x9d type bracket that can be manually inserted into the space between the target tray and the tray above hinged out of the way above. The kickstand bracket is clumsy and awkward to use.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a flip tray system for use in optical fiber splice cases that is easy to use for holding selected trays in a flipped up orientation without any additional brackets, parts, or the like. The trays above the target tray are held in a raised position enabling access to the lower target tray yet without disturbing the trays beneath the target tray.
It would further be desirable to provide a flip tray system that includes a means for easily removing individual trays from the stack during regular maintenance or servicing. In that way, the single tray removed from the stack could be serviced apart from existing connections within the optical splice case without disturbing the nontargeted cables.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved organizer clip system for storing a length of slack buffer cable beneath the tray stack so that the buffer cable can be paid out from the organizer clip area as needed whenever a single tray is removed from the stack. Again, this would enable servicing of individual trays without disturbing existing connections within the optical fiber splice case.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a novel flip tray system for optical fiber splice trays within an optical fiber splice case. The subject flip tray system is adapted to be carried on a longitudinally extending rod or mounting bar member disposed between end plates of a typical optical fiber splice case. In that regard, a rack member of the flip tray system is attached to the longitudinal mounting bar member within the optical fiber splice case so that the rack member extends upwardly therefrom at an angle.
Each of the optical fiber splice trays preferably includes a clip area formed on one side of the tray for pivotally connecting the tray to the rack member. Suitable round tab members formed in the clip area are adapted to pivotally engage the rack member so that each of the trays can be pivotally rotated relative to the rack member and the longitudinal mounting bar within the fiber splice case. Preferably, the clips are formed of resilient plastic and the rack member includes a series of regularly spaced apart holes adapted to selectively receive the tab members carried on the clip area. In that way, individual trays can be easily removed from the stack by merely disengaging the tab member pair from the respective hole pair by squeezing the clip area.
In addition to the above, preferably, each of the fiber splice trays includes a guide and locking area formed on the side of the tray opposite from the clip area. The guide and locking areas of each splice tray are preferably identically formed and are adapted to mechanically cooperate with each other in a manner to enable the trays to be self supported in an intermated raised position and also to be brought into aligned registration when the trays are brought into a collapsed orientation. Further, in a range of intermediate positions between the opposite raised and collapsed orientations, the guide and locking areas are each respectively slidably engaged with one another to ensure that the free tray ends opposite the clip area are maintained in an aligned registration as the trays are pivoted between their collapsed orientation and the elevated and raised position.